Dear Critter Corner: Our pup is very excited about life! With that excitement comes a lot of jumping, pulling, and door dashing to name a few. What can we do to help curb some of his enthusiasm and teach him some self-control?
What a great question! Teaching our pups, a solid sit can help aid in a lot of the above circumstances and create a nice default behavior for them to go to when needed. I know this sounds like a simple exercise and you may think that your pup knows how to sit, but we want to remember to work with them in all types of environments.
I will usually start my pup in a nice quiet room. I get the basics and then branch out to more distracting areas in the house or yard and eventually our walks. This is the generalization process, which a lot of us forget to do. If you want a ‘rock star’ everywhere, you need to train everywhere!
I like a hands-off approach in teaching the sit. I do this by taking a treat and placing it at his nose, and then luring it up and over his head towards his rear. Once his rear hits the floor, I mark that behavior with a ‘yes’ and then reinforce with the treat. When I see he gets what I am asking and is offering it on his own, I add the verbal cue ‘sit’ as his rear hits the floor, still marking and treating. I will then fade the visual lure and place it in a pocket. I now ask for the ‘sit’ and wait, once he offers it, I will mark and give him the treat from my pocket.
Now I will generalize the behavior and train in many areas and contexts. I can now start to utilize the sit to help with his jumping, door dashing, pulling on leash, having equipment put on for a walk and patiently waiting while I talk with a neighbor on our walk.
If you are still having problems or would like some extra help, you can schedule a 1:1 Consultation with one of our behaviorists.